New cartridge?

I compared the avid acutus with the clearaudio reference and the brinkmann lagrange. The packages were roughly similiar prices. Which clearaudio did you hear? If you listen to rock classical and acoustic it would be worth the difference to my ears.

 

I was looking for stuff in the £2-3k range.
I bought the clearaudio Revolution with SME 3009/2 arm, a nice compromise between transparency and warmth.
At the time I also listened to some more expensive decks just in case I was making a mistake in spending so little () - the Mrs wanted the Clearaudio Master Reference with tangential arm etc, but it certainly didn't sound £15k-ish better than the Avid Volvere!
I also listened to the 2 Verdiers next to each other. The Platine was very, very slightly better than the Nouvelle, but not £2k-ish better.
I'd prefer to spend the difference on more music, or bits for my mosickle!

I did, however, like the Brinkmann Fein phonostage - would have bought that if the EAR 834P deluxe hadn't been so beguiling, and reasonably priced...

 

Ah ok thats a big jump. What type of music do you listen to?

Yes the fein is very good - and if you connect straight to the power amp it is even better!

 

By the way: clearaudio reference is out of production. The Goldfinger replaces it. I must say that the difference is just huge mostly in dynamics. The Goldfinger is miles better, really another class.

 

Anything with balls and bass...
Everything from Motorhead to Matalex, Varese to Vivaldi, Bootsy to Bruch and Parxis to Primus.
Very little in the way of acoustic music (unless it fills the B&B criteria), especially that jazz lite nonsense peddled by the likes of Jamie Cullum, or that miserable hifi air'n'space nonsense like Eliza Gilkeson and the like.
It's got to pump.

 

:MILD: :MILD: :MILD:

 

The CA ref left me a bit cold, I felt it was dynamically flat - will look out for the goldfinger.

 

Land of milk and honey certainly isn't hifi air'n'space nonsense, which one have you heard? Highway 9 is one of my favourite Iraq protest songs

 

compared to which other cartridge?

 

Oh I was talking about the reference arm, deck cartridge combination together. The deck below the master reference, the top pivotted arm - I have no idea which cartridge.

 

I'm afraid that's how I'd class it (having just checked out Highway 9). Each to their own, mind.
But then I hate vocal music, especially well-meaning protest music. It gives too many folk with average talent an excuse to get out their acoustic geetar and strum, much to the annoyance of everybody else!
We have a jam night at our local boozer once a month, which is always over-run with folkies. They sing all the 60s protest songs, and folk nonsense (very averagely) for most of the night - anyone else who just wants to play some blues, or God forbid, Jazz, is allowed about 15 minutes by the Folk Fascists.
They have tambourines, FFS!!!!
Next time, though, I shall be taking down my Marshall, my M8s taking his trombone and we shall drown them out, hopefully never to return.
It's not even their local - they tour round all the pubs with a jam night and take over. I'd bring back the stocks for that sort of behaviour.

 

Your just afraid you'll end up bearded and wearing sandals. Embrace the power! Folk is not a four letter word and all that.

 

I like a bit of kicking folk, or bluegrass, or Cajun so long as there's no well meaning singing. Or women who look like witches playing the recorder badly.
But I am thinking of getting a banjo - I've worked out the Deliverance duelling banjo/guitar thing on the bass so now I need a banjo, or even better a twin necked bass-banjo
And a beard is out - mine grows like one of those scrawny rednecks with a clubfoot and a far too closely related family...

 

So just the thing for duelling banjos then?

 

cant beat Bonnie Prince Billy...

 

Wow, I now have the TecnoArm with Deskadel silver cabling and my problems are gone! Seems like the Incognito wiring and Origin Live modified RB300 were the culprit! The TecnoArm is highly recommended! It still is a Rega (so it has that signature), only it is a very refined version of it...!

 

If you've already either bought or decided to stay with the VDH,my apologies....if not,have you considered either a Lyra Argo or Helikon?

I've just bought an Argo,and I'm delighted with the way it retrieves detail but without sounding in any way shrill or sharp...just a lovely sounding cartridge.

 

Thanks for the suggestions! The vd Hul does sound much better now (I also will have it checked by Aalt Jouk), but I am always on the lookout for even better sound. Lyra would be one of the options.